Red wine and chocolate
by oldmule
Summary: Harry, Ruth fluff.  Including Epilogue.
1. Chapter 1

**I really should be doing some work!**

Ruth took off her glasses. Dimitri said something about them suiting her but she wasn't quite listening. She had too much to do. In fact the more she did the more the pile of files on the desk seemed to grow rather than dwindle, it felt like they might overtake her desk and swamp her at any moment.

Time went by in a blur and she realised it was late in the evening. The stack of files was definitely higher than it had been previously and for a moment she felt she was looking at the leaning tower of Pisa.

Alec shouted 'ciao' and left. It had been a strange day.

She didn't know the time but knew it was late and the grid was bathed in a warm glow, she was the only one left. She was typing up another report when she began to spin around. It was Harry. He was behind her and he was spinning her to him.

"Harry."

"Ruth, I've been meaning to do this all day."

He placed one hand on each arm of her chair and leant down and kissed her. He tasted of red wine and chocolate and she could feel herself melting into his kiss. His mouth was as warm and soft and welcoming as she'd always imagined. Then he was pulling her up, out of the chair and clasping her to him so that she could hardly breathe. She wondered why he had never done this before. It would have made nights on the grid so much nicer. He was becoming more and more passionate and it felt as if his hands were everywhere touching every part of her, sending tiny shocks all around her body.

"Ruth, I want you." He said and his voice felt like red wine and chocolate. He bent her back onto her desk and the pile of files scattered and fell like a house of cards all over the grid.

It didn't matter. Nothing mattered anymore. All she could feel was him, all she could taste and smell were him.

"Harry, I've still got my glasses on"" she said.

* * *

She opened her eyes. Her breathing was heavy and she was sweating. Her body still felt charged and electrified, her senses heightened.

The alarm clock was going off.

She closed her eyes and most mightily wished herself back asleep but the moment was lost. And yet she could almost still feel him, it had all been so vivid.

She turned off the alarm and got up, wondering if she would be able to look him in the face today.

**Consequences to come, methinks.**


	2. Chapter 2

"Ruth, will you take a look at this for me."

Harry leant over her shoulder putting down a report he'd received that morning. She avoided at all costs looking round at him because all she could feel was the change in the air around her at his nearness, the heat of him and the heat rising from her face.

"Of course."

He moved away and she felt the tension leave her.

"Ruth, are you ok?" He had turned back.

"Yes, fine."

"It's just that you look a little flushed, sure you're not coming down with something?"

"No. No, I'm fine," she snapped back.

She didn't see the hurt in his eyes before he turned away.

* * *

There were a pile of files on her desk, she stared at them, her focus was elsewhere and her eyes glazed, her face was heated once more and he was worried about her. He'd surreptitiously watched all morning from his office and all morning she had seemingly drifted away into her own thoughts, not concentrating on what was before her. He was sure she was unwell. Clearly she had a temperature and he wondered if she was feeling dizzy because she would lean back and twist herself slightly in her chair and then suck in the air as if she was overcome.

* * *

"Ruth, a moment" he called from his office.

It was a moment she was dreading.

"Sit down," he didn't want her fainting.

"Getting anywhere with that report?"

There was a desk between them and she kept her eyes fixed to it but all she could see were files flying and all she could feel was his weight upon her and his hands exploring her and bloody hell did that dream have to have been so vivid, did she have to have _felt everything_?

"It's slow going. I'll need a little longer."

She glanced up at him and her eyes settled upon his lips and she felt them sliding down her neck and across her chest.

"Do you need help with it?"

She could feel his tongue brushing her skin.

"Ruth."

She could feel his skin against hers.

"Ruth?"

Oh, god.

"Ruth?"

"Yes," she said her breathing increased many fold.

"You're not well are you? I think we need to get you home to bed." He realised what he'd said and tried to plough on, "I think you've got a temperature, I'm sure of it."

"I'm ok, Harry. I feel fine really." She got up needing to escape but found him blocking her way.

"Ruth, I'm worried"

"Don't be" he was standing far too close and she could feel the heat rise in her face again.

He touched her arm, it was the lightest and briefest of touches. This time she was the one who thought she might faint.

"Got to go" she said and shot out of his office.

She'd reacted like he'd scolded her. He'd hesitated about reaching out his hand and once there he'd almost withdrawn the gesture but even that vague contact had clearly been abhorrent to her. Why was he still kidding himself.


	3. Chapter 3

Ruth was in the kitchen hiding from Harry, she felt considerably less distracted both away from him and away from her desk, which made work rather difficult.

Beth walked in and Ruth made herself busy offering to make her a tea.

"Are you ok, Ruth, you seem a little distracted today?"

"Just tired, I think."

Beth nodded and waited, she had learned from sharing a house with Ruth that the best thing was to just let her speak in her own time and not press things.

"Actually I had this strange dream," she hesitated, "and it won't leave me, it just keeps playing in my mind, you know the type that's really vivid?"

"Oh, yeah, especially when they're the dirty ones," said Beth laughing enthusiastically.

"Yes, absolutely. If only!'" Ruth laughed back hoping she had hidden her embarrassment, "Best get on," she said handing Beth her tea and turning for the door where she almost ran headlong into Harry. Though embarrassed before, it was now that she blushed. She avoided meeting his eye, said merely "sorry" and disappeared.

Beth smiled to herself.

Harry looked after the quickly vanishing figure.

"Coffee, Harry?"

"Yes, thank you."

He was still looking towards the grid, "Beth, does Ruth seem alright to you? Do you think she's coming down with something?"

"I think she came down with it years ago," she muttered to herself.

"Sorry?"

"I think she's fine."

"That's what she said."

"You don't believe her?"

"She's not herself."

"I think she's a little distracted by a dream she had."

"A dream," he said blankly.

"Yes."

"About?"

"About….about you, Harry."

"About me," it seemed to him he had lost the ability to say anything other than repeat her.

"She dreamt about me?"

"Yes."

He hesitated, "In a good way, or a bad way?"

Beth hesitated. "Good, I'd say."

"Good," he repeated once more only this time she thought it less repeat and more comment.

"And vivid" she said, not wanting to betray Ruth too much but hoping he would pick up the hint and go with it.

He stopped himself saying vivid and instead thought about what it might mean. He turned back to his office.

"Harry."

Distracted he turned back.

"Your coffee," she said handing him a mug.


	4. Chapter 4

**Very short! And Kudos own rights and characters, in case anyone didn't know!**

_Vivid - __producing a strong or clear impression on the senses, ____specifically__:__ producing distinct mental images._

His eyes were fixed on Ruth, her eyes were fixed somewhere in the middle distance even though she was turned towards her computer screen.

She had had a 'good' dream about him. A 'good, vivid' dream about him. A dream so vivid she blushed everytime he went near her.

He doubted himself, it sounded vaguely ridiculous.

He decided to test the theory.

"Ruth", he leaned across the desk. She had not seen him approach and then suddenly there he was.

""I'm still doing it" she said flicking through some paper work and failing to look up.

"Doing what?" he asked in as quiet and husky voice as he could manage.

"The report", she was blushing.

"Ruth….." he waited without saying any more until she was so uncomfortable she had to look at him and then he searched her eyes, looking for answers. She couldn't maintain the eye contact, it was too intense and the images were all flooding back once more.

"Nothing", he said and walked back to his office. He hid the smile on his face but badly failed to hide the smile in his eyes.

**Bit more to come**


	5. Chapter 5

Ruth sat at her desk, the grid was quiet and she was finally getting some work done. Harry was out at a meeting and in all probability wouldn't be back. The others had long gone. She had a great deal to catch up on seeing as she'd failed to concentrate all day.

The pod doors opened and she glanced up, immediately she closed her files and began to log off her computer.

"Hi," said Harry gently, crossing to her desk.

"You've only just caught me," she continued to tidy her desk, even now she couldn't leave it a mess.

"That's good," he said.

Did he have to sound quite so seductive she wondered and in a vague panic whilst moving her handbag managed to push her pile of files off the corner of the desk. Her face reflected a horror not in proportion to a couple of files falling to the floor. It was happening she thought. The files falling. Spinning. Kissing. Touching.

"It's okay, Ruth, there you go," Harry was stood at the corner of her desk now handing back the retrieved files.

Invariably blushing she exclaimed, "The bus, I've got to go." She made to stand but as she did left hand grabbed one chair arm and right hand grabbed the other, she was trapped.

"Oh, no you don't," he said quietly.

"Harry…I," she stammered.

His head was only inches away from hers.

"What is it Ruth?"

"I need to get the bus."

"Is that all."

"Yes."

"I'll give you a lift."

"No."

"It's not a problem."

She thought for a moment that she might pass out.

"You smell of red wine," she said, eyes wide.

"Is that a problem?"

"No, no, it's just…." the sentence ended, well she's wasn't about to tell him why it was important.

"Ruth, do you ever think about me?"

"What?"

"Do you ever dream?"

She was horrified. "What do you mean?" Beth was the only one she'd mentioned this to and she'd most definitely not said what the dream was about, nor whom it was about.

"I mean do you ever have really vivid dreams?"

"Sometimes" she stammered.

"Me too," he smiled, "but I'm usually awake."

His eyes danced and she was lost.

"I dreamt last night" she admittedly quietly.

"Was I in your dream?"

She nodded slowly.

"Did I behave myself?"

Oh, that smile, she thought, will be the death of me.

"No" she whispered.

He leant in to her ear and she could feel his mouth imperceptibly brush the tiny hairs on her cheek. "Was I any good?" he breathed the question.

Her heart caught.

He could feel the nod of her head and the blush.

He slid his face slowly to face her and smiled and then added huskily, "I've been meaning to do this all day," and he kissed her.


	6. Epilogue

**Epilogue**

Beth sat her desk, drowning in a sea of paper.

"What are you doing?' asked Dimitri, as he noticed the files had spread across his desk too.

"Bloody cleaners," was the only answer he got.

"Beth?"

"When I came in this morning there were files all over the floor. The paperwork's all mixed up, I'm trying to sort it out and if you want to be useful then you could give me a hand, instead of gawping."

"You only had to ask." he muttered and grabbed a handful of papers.

The pod doors opened and in came Harry, "Morning" he announced cheerfully. His response was a nod and not much more.

"Problem?" he asked.

"Just an accident with some paperwork"

"Right" he said, his face impassive and headed straight for his office.

The pod doors opened and in came Ruth.

"Morning" she said brightly.

They had their backs to her.

"What's up?" she asked crossing to them.

"A cleaner must have knocked these files off your desk this morning, they're all mixed up, but don't worry we'll be sorted in a bit."

"Thanks, Beth, that's good of you", said Ruth as she went to sit at her desk.

Harry looked up from his office and grinned, she flashed him the brightest of smiles.

"Oops" he mouthed and then laughed.


End file.
